Tag Archives: robert greene

I came across Robert Greene’s “48 Laws of Power” last summer and was blown away. In his book, Greene describes 48 “laws” that various figures throughout history have displayed that led them to a position of power. While reading it, I found there were a number of different “laws” I could apply to my everyday life. Sure, I’m not (literally) fighting any battles or involved in politics, but these lessons can be applied to just about anything if you frame it correctly. He gets pretty detailed so if you’d like hear some more about what Greene thinks, I strongly recommend picking up the book on Amazon.

The book led me to Greene’s blog, Power, Seduction and War. Here, I came across a speech that he gave at Yale (I think it took place in late 2010 according to the post date). There are plenty of things to take away from the speech, but here’s one part I found really interesting:

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“It’s all material. Everything that happens is material. Material for a book. Material for a novel, for a screenplay. I want to be the master observer of this world.”

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This line fits the vibe of this blog perfectly. To observe the world is to learn about the world. To learn about the world is to learn about people. To learn about people is to learn about the relationships between people, including yourself. This can open many doors…Observing can help improve the relationships in your life, whether you’re looking to improve the relationship with a loved one or make a change at work. Observe how people are acting around you and how different actions can lead to different results. Learn from these observations and use that to improve your own life.

On a creative note, these observations can lead to inspiration for anything. Like Greene says, “a book…a screenplay.” Art is life and in order to create art, one must observe life. If you do have a creative side to you and ever find yourself hitting a wall, go outside and observe life. The smallest thing can lead to a thought, which can lead to a feeling, which can lead to a memory, which can lead to a lyric, etc. Keep your eyes and ears open. Become the “master observer” of your world.

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The full transcript of Robert Greene’s Yale speech referenced above can be found here.